


Father and Son

by Snowstorm345



Category: Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Video Game)
Genre: big scary man helps little soft boy, vandham had such a good story ahead of him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-25
Updated: 2019-08-25
Packaged: 2020-09-26 07:10:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20385739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snowstorm345/pseuds/Snowstorm345
Summary: He felt… safe. Protected, cared for. It had added more fuel to the flame which was Rex’s drive. He felt he had something to prove, someone to look up to. So maybe that was why he was drawn to him. He didn’t want it to end. He wanted to make him proud, have someone to talk to, but most importantly, he just needed someone to care for him in a way that Gramps had, but also understood him. So maybe that's why he was drawn to him. Maybe he shouldn’t have, maybe it would have made the pain more bearable when it had happened, but he knew that the time that he had spent with Vandham was the most valuable time of his life.





	Father and Son

Garfont was a lively village, to say the least. With rows of mercenaries with a tolerance for alcohol as robust as any elite salvager and a leader who was all too happy to comply with an extra drink, it was a combination for disaster. Bottles would be strewn across the ground, men could be found sleeping in their seats with their hands held tight around a pitcher of beer, and children could be seen testing the limits of an unconscious mercenary with enough alcohol in their gut to knock out a small titan. In short, it could be quite a disaster at times. When the men woke, it was usually due to the effects of an absurdly large Urayan man and his pet parrot gusting winds strong enough to knock anyone lighter than the man himself, Vandham. Although these nights were generally uncommon, it would most likely be enough to send any normal military ranking system into shock via the spiraling abyss that would be the hangover. When they awoke moaning, groaning, and clutching their heads, they were immediately spurred into action after several minutes and back onto their duties without any mention of the night beforehand. _ If _ they remembered it, that is. 

Although kind and generous, Vandham had a knack for leadership. Any men that could be seen patrolling the streets of the village whether for another drink or to retire for the night could be seen greeting the behemoth with the same familiarity as an old friend would greet an old friend. So maybe that's why Rex was so drawn to the man. The first time that they had met was the first time that they had locked blades, which had openly exposed Rex’s faults and the treasure which was the Aegis to exploit in whichever way he decided. Instead, he had walked away, treated them to dinner, and sent them off to their beds to rest until morning. The second time they had properly met, he had asked and practically begged for help. The man agreed, and that bolstered Rex’s trust in him even more. He was fascinated, to say the least. He didn’t have the exact experience, and some would even go as far as to say that he didn’t even have the audacity to say it, but he felt like a father to him. Not a friend, not a mentor, but a father. Training with the man was usually the extent of their interactions, but those times were the most intimate encounters that Rex had had with another older man. He felt… safe. Protected, cared for. It had added more fuel to the flame which was Rex’s drive. He felt he had something to prove, someone to look up to. So maybe that was why he was drawn to him. He didn’t want it to end. He wanted to make him proud, have someone to talk to, but most importantly, he just needed someone to care for him in a way that Gramps had, but also understood him. So maybe that's why he was drawn to him. Maybe he shouldn’t have, maybe it would have made the pain more bearable when _ it _ had happened, but he knew that the time that he had spent with Vandham was the most valuable time of his life.

* * *

Garfont wasn’t the most impressive place to come back to, and he practically raised it from the ground himself. So when he had entered through those gates, the kid and company in tow, it most likely wasn’t the most welcoming atmosphere to be greeted with. Thick wafts of booze could still be smelled in the air even though the main event had most likely transpired hours ago, and men could be seen either stumbling through the village or passed out dead in any open space. Leading them quickly to their lodgings, he bid them goodnight and promised to speak to them in the morning. He was surprised when the kid came up to him afterward and asked to speak to him, and even more surprised when he wasn’t cowering in fear or visibly disgusted with the state of the village. He looked ecstatic and slightly… desperate? That couldn’t be right, he had nothing to be desperate in the first place. He had the Aegis, a beaut by most if not all mens’ standards, a group of friends, albeit one was a snappy Gormotti gal and the other was a Nopon, and a place to rest. So when he walked up to him in the dead of night, face barely illuminated by the faint light streaming in from the roof Uraya under the moon enchanted Saffronia tree, he was visibly confused. 

“Hey… Mr. Vandham, sir?” He started slowly, almost as if asking permission to continue. When he was met with no resistance, he continued. “So I’ve been thinking on your words that you gave when you first met us-” _ Ah, so that’s what he’s all worked up about. _ “-and I’ve been wondering. Could you… help me? Get better, that is. I-I’ve never done this before and you seem like you know what you’re doing.” He looked away, slightly abashed, “and when you came in asking for Pyra and then I lost… I just… couldn’t bear it.” He looked up at the hulking man, a burning fire visible in his eyes. “I just couldn’t believe that I let someone get to her that easily. It’s my job to get her to where she needs, isn’t that right? But I just couldn’t do it… I was so weak!” He looked frustrated, hands crossed over his chest as he stared out into the village. “But I know that I can’t keep going on like this. I need to get better. For her. So, will you help me?” It was a question that Vandham could easily answer. The kid obviously had a fire in him, so Vandham would really put him to the test whether he was capable of handling the Aegis. He wasn’t sure before then, but he was now sure that the kid was fully invested in his duty. He had to hand it to him, that was something that most mercenaries would never learn. 

He answered gruffly, “of course, I’ll help you kid. Either way, from the way that you fought back there? I wouldn’t have let you leave this village ‘till you got some real skills sharpened into you.” He looked down, face softening slightly. “You’re real serious about this, eh kid?”

“Uh? Whatcha mean?” He asked with a curious tone.

“This whole Aegis business.” He elaborated, “protecting that blade of yours. It must be no easy feat, eh kid?” 

He scratched the back of his head and responded. “It’s been rough, with Pyra. Everything seems to be against her.” He looked down and kicked the dirty sheepishly. “And sometimes, I feel like it’s not worth it. Not that she’s not worth it, but that I’m not good enough for her.” He looked up, muted defeat in his eyes. “Everywhere we go, we get stopped and I try to protect her, but I can never do it properly. She always gets hurt because of me.” He sighed, “I just feel that I’m not good enough for her sometimes.” 

Vandham was silent, absorbing the information given to him by the young driver. It was obvious why he felt that way, with all of the resistance met from those who want the power of the Aegis themselves it would be impossible to escape with injuries. Plus, he was only a kid. Most likely all of his opponents were adults wailing on him under the excuse that he was the Aegis’ driver. Most of the time when he spoke with his fellow mercenaries, it would be straight to the point, crude humor laced in each sentence. With the kid, Rex, it was straight from his heart. 

“Y’know, kid, it ain’t possible to protect everyone.” He looked perplexed by his statement. “Sometimes, we gotta make choices and that hurts the ones that we love most. Your blade? Important, she is. Everyone’s after her. You’ve done well enough to make it here if I’ll be truthful. You’ve got guts, kid. More guts than most people I know. The weight of what she carries is a burden, but I’ll say you’ve done quite the job.” He paused, looking for the right way to phrase his words. “But still, it doesn’t mean you’re off the hook. Here’s your first little seminar, Rex. Being a driver isn’t all about being about controlling the powers of your blade. It’s part of it, sure, but it isn’t what makes you a real driver.” He had gotten his full attention that statement, eagerly drinking up the information given to him. “Being a driver is about protecting your blade. If you can’t protect your own blade, you don’t deserve to have one. Those who abuse the power of their blades are scared. Scared of the power that stems from their blade. You’ve got to embrace their power. They do this for you, so the least that you can do for them, _ her _, is protect her with your life. But from what I see in you, you’ve already got that down.” Finishing his lesson, he clapped his hands together, looked down to Rex with a new light, and made a mental promise. “Right! Tomorrow morning we’ll start. Better get your rest, Rex. You’re gonna need it.” 

Splitting a grin, Rex eagerly agreed and walked beside Vandham down the hill. “Hey, Mr. Vandham?” 

“Just Vandham, kid. I’m not that old yet.”

“Well, hey Vandham. Thanks.” He seemed confused as if conflicting with his inner emotions, but quickly replaced it with a smile as he disappeared into his quarters. Chuckling to himself, he began to walk back down to his own quarters. The kid was an alright one, for sure. He had been disappointed, at first. A stubby kid as the Driver of the Aegis? If he had been told a year ago, he would've laughed and asked for another drink. Now, he knew that this was no normal kid. He may not know him, but he knew that he would be the key to the future. A true heart of gold in Vandham's eyes. Reminded him of a certain boy that he had once learned to love similarly... 

Shaking himself out of his reverie, he made a promise to himself. Although the kid was a little naive, and more than a little undertrained, he would protect him in every way he could without preventing him from growing into his own person. He would make sure that he learned how to become the driver that he needed to be for the Aegis, but he would always make sure he was there for the kid. Even if he wasn't there, in the end, to experience it all, he would make sure Roc took care of him when he couldn't. He might have only known him for a few hours, but those few hours was something that Vandham was willing to die for.

**Author's Note:**

> Vandham deserved a lot more in the story, but he was such a lovable character from the start that it makes up for the rest of the story that we didn't get to experience with him.
> 
> I'm not really confident on the last part of this fic, specifically Vandham's PoV but I hope you guys enjoyed.


End file.
